Las Vegas, 1950s-1980s

Fremont Street in Las Vegas, much like the Strip, constantly evolved over the decades, so much like yesterday’s carspotting entry, let’s take a look at downtown Las Vegas’s changes through the years, as seen through the prism of photos posted recently on Vintage Las Vegas. A couple photos down we see Fremont Street in the late Forties, followed chronologically by the above and below photos of the street in about 1957 and then 1959. Further down, we see it in the late1970s and then in the early 1980s starting to look a little rundown. What do you see here?

CrownCoupe64says:

October 1, 2015 12:41 pm

autobug2says:

October 1, 2015 12:19 pm

First off–Daniel, keep those LV pics coming! I never tire of seeing the glitter & traffic scenes.

OK, with so many images and me at the office, I better keep this brief. I’ll reserve my spotting to only the first photo:

Say, a `49 Studebaker convert?! we haven’t seen those appear very often! Looks like the state contract went to Plymouth for Vegas’ fleet in `56, given the cop’s unit at the curb. Nice Savoy. The `55 Coupe DeVille coming towards us was no doubt as common as dirt in Vegas during those years; a high-roller’s paradise. Ahead of the older gent on the left walking away from us, I think I see the nose of a red `49-50 Olds; I’ll bet its an 88. And as we see, ladies with horn-rim shades were everywhere.

Jason Herringsays:

October 1, 2015 12:32 pm

Second from the bottom photo of the Golden Nugget is interesting. The Yellow Cab in front of the ’69 Plymouth cab appears to be a ’69 or ’70 Mercury Monterey! Car in front of the Merc looks like a ’69 Pontiac Tempest or Lemans.
I doubt the photo is from “the late ’70s”.
Mercury taxis in Las Vegas? Hmmm.

Jack Sheasays:

October 1, 2015 12:39 pm

I look forward to this glimpse of the past each morning and hope my comment yesterday did not offend anyone ? I know the Hemmings staff works overtime to provide us all images to ponder each day, but I also know we all have photo’s sitting in a drawer, that at one time where priceless to the person who took them and the family members they enriched. Get them out and share them ok ?

raysays:

October 1, 2015 12:55 pm

J Franksays:

October 1, 2015 1:39 pm

Fremont is back in full swing now, but without cars.However the 80s picture was at the lowest point, and the cars in the photo don’t exactly convey glamour. The Saab must have either been lost or running to (or from) the strip, and the lack of traffic shows how the Fremont casinos lost most of their business during that time. I see the taillights of a 70 or so Mustang and a 67 Olds in the shadows, with the back of a 77 Caprice far right.

bellaalfa.plsays:

October 2, 2015 7:45 am

Howiesays:

October 2, 2015 10:57 am

Greg B.says:

October 2, 2015 7:59 am

I remember in the early to mid 1970s that vacation trips to the Fremont Hotel in Las Vegas were given away on TV game shows. Always struck me as a bit of a consolation prize, but I gather it is an OK place now despite its age.

Kurt Krausssays:

October 2, 2015 10:23 am

Stoneysays:

October 2, 2015 11:28 am

One of these days you’re going to have a photo and I’ll see myself driving down the strip in my T-bird, or my daily driver Dodge. Its amazing to see how much has been torn down and replaced. I often tell people that the casinos are like stage props, once the show is over they come down and the next are put up.

Bill (the other one)says:

October 2, 2015 11:50 am

Carmen Angelosays:

October 4, 2015 8:16 am

By the 90’s you could come down to Fremont St and see Elvis singing Viva Las Vegas on the elevated roof covering the street or even a Laser Light show. Their were some very good places to eat at reasonable prices too before Vegas as a whole raised the price of food throughout the Casinos.